The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-11-19
THE FOLLY OF YOUTH.


with Those of q Past Generation.
A Boston paper told the other day
of man who. meeting an old friend
and inquiring casually about the menu
bers of his family, mentioned his son.
my son." replied the other. with a
frankness which seemed to indicate his
sense Of tho uselessness OF Disgusting
the sad fact, "has gone to the deuce"
The bare and naked confessiol was
more expressive of the heartache
Of the parent facing the decline Of life
in the certainty that the bearer OF his
name was leading worthless career.
than any terms Of grief could be. 1t
was unadorned misery itself
Yet what a common situation this is
coming to be! The young men are
schooled, educated, and many of them
college educated. More money, en-
deavor and affection are lavished on
one. upon an average. than were spent
upon three boys in the last generation.
They have gymnasiums provided to
cultivate their physical constitutions.
and from two weeks to two months in
the year to go canoeing, boating,
camping. yachting. rocking, rusticat-
ing. .'roughing" it in too many senses.
Yet all these things are too often
abused by being so employed rs to
make the lusts of the body sustain
greater indulgences. As one con-
fessed after two weeks in the mount
aims from which he returned rather
pale: You see the fresh air in the
mountains and good appetite built
me up so that l was able 10 smoke
double the number Of cigarettes in a
day."
This is the kind Of man who Is
thrown out of West Point by his hol-
low chest and spindling build. The
class is represented by the young fell
low who had been educated at Column
bia and was found dead in his bed by
his parents returning from Europe.
The cigarette had stopped the heart.
and all the promise of manhood on its
threshold was turned to ashes. An
other Columbia Willard Snow
den. son Of Rev. Bayard Snowden Of
Fort Hamilton-has died from internal
injuries received last year in a cane
rush.
But this was mere loss. In how
many other cases is there not mere
loss, but wrong often degradation
and guilt. and perhaps crime. as in
the case OF young McNeily. We
believe the professional base ball fever
is a miserable debasement of youth.
The city of Boston has gone crazy over
the playing Of a lot of hired mer'
cenaries thirty or forty years of age.
nine Of whom were lately fined TWEEN
ty-fve dollars each by their employers
for an incapacitating uso OF spirits.
, Very respectable people have crowded
the spectators seats. 1t is Of no par
ticular value to the boys. In fact tho
boys can not get near the playground,
I and the games are largely attended by
the worst elements in the city. as wei
as by some of the best The whole
thing teaches the youth that great
and ;ndolent profession has been bull
|. up on what should be manly sport.
We are not claiming that the young
men arc worse than in former genera
. lions, for the data for comparison ar,
Of so little value that all such contrasts
are utterly worthless. But we do sa.
that never was so much done for you'll
and the resulting products are still il
!, too many cases great disappointment
to those on whom has fallen the burdel
: Of raising the coming generation
8 Time will pass on and some OF thos
: who now pile up the misery OF paterns
. hearts may yet know "how sharpe
' than serpent's tooth it is to have
k thankless child. "-Sprinqfeld Mass.
o Republican